A Whole New (Terrifying) World
by Pupcake125
Summary: Ichigo is yet again in another nightmare, full of monsters, creatures, and a fairy that is his only guide. To wake up, he must help the Mistresses of the Elements on a very special mission. A scavenger hunt... Rated T for Language
1. Ichigo, The Peasant!

**I absolutely love when Ichigo has weird dreams. Like the Arabian Knights episode and the Halloween one! So, let's see what happens when Ichigo ends up in a world full of monsters and creatures of Mythology and Folklore!**

** Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!**

* * *

"Huh?"

Ichigo spun around and took a look at himself. Was he wearing... tights?!

"The hell?! Wait a minute, am I in another dream again?!" Ichigo yelled. He took a good look at himself again. A beige-colored top, black tights around his legs, and weird black shoes. He looked down and saw a red strap going diagonal from his right shoulder down to his left hip. Hey, was that Zangetsu on his back? Ichigo reached back, hoping to feel his sword, only to find he had a small bag attached to his back. He reached inside and only found a small silver knife. "Ah, come on! Why do I keep having lucid dreams like this?!" he yelled.

So, Ichigo walked around the woods he was in, kicking rocks and grumbling to himself as to why he was always a victim to his horrid imagination. That is until he heard a scream. A scream that sounded rather familiar.

"Rukia?" he wondered and ran towards the sound of the screaming. After leaping through a bush, all he was was a... well, a beast of some sorts. A giant brown and white dog, on two legs clawing at the trunk of a dead tree. The screams were coming from there. Rukia must be in there. "Hey, ugly!" Ichigo shouted, and charged the beast with his tiny knife. The wolf creature took one look at the knife and flattened it's ears, tucked it's tail, and sprinted off screeching. Ichigo only stared as he watched the wolf run off, very confused. "Uh, okay..." he muttered and returned the knife to his bag.

"Is he gone?" a squeaky voice came. Ichigo looked around. Who said that?

"Who's there?" Ichigo asked. He heard the sound of fluttering, like a dragonfly, and turned to see, sure enough, Rukia... as a _fairy_. Eyebrow twitching, Ichigo gawked at her. She was no bigger than a pencil and was dressed in a decoratively torn dress that went down just below her knees, had pink flat shoes, and was flying thanks to transparent light-pink colored wings. Oh, and she was _sparkling_. "R-Rukia, is that really you?!" Ichigo stammered. Rukia gave him a questioning look. Uh-oh, did he get her name wrong? He forgot in this parallel universe of milk and honey and Hell that his friends often had different, yet similar sounding names to their own.

"Of course it's me, Ichigo." Rukia said as she fluttered in front of him, sparkles flying from her flapping paper-like wings. Ichigo sighed in relief.

"Well, that's good news. Anyway, where the hell am I?" Ichigo asked. Rukia shook her head.

"You dummy. How can you not know the name of the place you live?" she said in a squeaky voice. "If you must know, you live in the Rukon Woods." how freaking original...

"Great... now will you please explain to me why I'm in this stupid outfit? And why I have this tiny knife? And why I'm here? And why you're a freaking fairy!" he yelled at her, and his voice nearly blew her away. Rukia huffed and straightened her hair before fluttering in front of his face.

"For your information, you're a peasant. That's why you're in ragged clothes. Second, your tiny knife is your only weapon. And lastly, my race are fairies. The fairies of the Kuchiki Valley." Rukia explained. Ichigo could hardly keep from laughing, but remained composed.

"Great, so I'm a peasant, you're a fairy, and, apparently, this place is rampant with giant wolves that can walk on two legs." Ichigo sighed and leaned against the clawed tree. "And they are not ragged!"

"Actually, these woods hold many unique creatures." Rukia said as she fluttered to the hole in the tree where she was hiding. "However, Komamura was a little upset with me, which is why he cornered me here." Ichigo's eye twitched.

"Th-that was Komamura?" Ichigo said in disbelief. He looked more like a wolf/dog/fox than normal.

"Yes, he was very upset because I took this from him." Rukia came fluttering out, a bone that looked of pure gold in her tiny hands. She struggled to fly upright as she tried to carry it to Ichigo. "It's the... Bone of Gold." she dropped it in Ichigo's hands and panted. "He's been guarding it for centuries. I need it, so I snuck into his cave while he was asleep, but he woke up and chased me here. Thanks to your silver knife, though, he ran off faster than I've ever seen him run." she smiled at him. Made sense. Werewolves and silver... Ichigo held the bone. It was light-weight like a bone, but shiny like pure gold.

"And you need this for?" Ichigo wondered. Rukia landed on his nose and caused him to flinch. She put her hands on her hips and stuck her chin upward, her eyes closed in a sassy manner.

"That is my business, and none of yours." she fluttered off of him, leaving his face all glittery. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must get this to my destination." Rukia took the bone from Ichigo and Ichigo watched as the little fairy stagger in the air with the much larger bone in her hands.

"Need a little help?" he asked as he walked beside her. Rukia sighed and glared at him.

"I'm fine! Now quit following me!" she yelled at him, then sank as her wings slowly stopped flapping. Ichigo reached out and let her land in his palm and took the bone in his other hand. Rukia sat in his hand, panting for air.

"Doesn't look like it to me." Ichigo said. "Tell you what, if you tell me where you're going, I'll take you there so you don't get so tired trying to carry this thing. Then, I'll leave without further question." Ichigo offered. Rukia studied him for a second, wondering if it was a good idea or not.

"Hm... well, you did save me." she stood up and hovered over his hand. "And the journey is pretty dangerous for someone as tiny as me." she looked back at him. "All right, you have a deal."

"Good. But I'll do it under one condition." Ichigo said. Rukia glared at him.

"And that is?"

"Tell me how to get out of here. As in, tell me how I can wake up from this horrible nightmare." Ichigo said. Rukia thought for a second.

"There is one way, but I cannot tell you until we reach my destination." Rukia said. Ichigo groaned.

"Fine. Whatever. Anyway, which way are we going?" Ichigo asked. Rukia smiled and fluttered to Ichigo's right shoulder.

"That way!" she pointed. With a sigh, Ichigo took the bone and put it in his bag before taking off to wherever the hell this place was.

* * *

As Ichigo walked with Rukia transitioning from his shoulder to his head, he wondered how "dangerous" this journey was. Considering that Komamura was a 9-foot gigantic wolf that was able to walk on two feet, he wasn't exactly too comfy walking in this forest. Another thing was why did Rukia need this giant bone in the first place? It was obviously too big for her to even pick up, so what the hell was she doing with it in the first place?

"I must warn you, there are many dangerous creatures out here." Rukia said. Ichigo sighed.

"Great... just what I needed..." Ichigo groaned. Ichigo continued walking, then stopped dead in his tracks when he came across the next part of the forest. A dark, almost black forest, filled with barren trees with thorns and a smoggy look to it. He heard things chirping and ringing, though he didn't think those were crickets.

"Eh, tell me this is the wrong way." Ichigo said as sweat dropped from the side of his head.

"Nope! This is the only way to the place I must get to. Now, get going!" she kicked him in the back of the head.

"Ow! Fine, I'm going." Ichigo continued on the path into the darkest part of the woods, and he felt like he was going to regret it.

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**Oh am I gonna let my imagination FLY with this story! This will be short, but worth it! Please review!**


	2. A New Adventure Begins!

**I'm trying to base all the characters in this story off of "real" creatures told in real life. Such as fairies, and other mythical creatures. It's so much fun! Enjoy!**

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The forest was dark, spooky, and foggy. There were different sounds that Ichigo couldn't make out, and he stepped in something squishy a little while back. He could've sworn he heard whatever he stepped on cry out in pain. What a stomach-churnnig experience.

"Are you sure this is the only way to wherever you're going?" Ichigo asked as Rukia hid in the locks of his bright orange hair. He heard her wings flutter.

"Of course I'm sure! I come this way all the time!" she said. Ichigo grunted.

"Then why are you hiding in my hair?" he asked.

"Because it's scary, duh?" Ichigo said nothing more as he continued through the blackened woods. The noises omitting from the shadows along with the strange glowing blue, green, and purple lights everywhere were enough give Ichigo the creeps, but with sharp sticks and jagged dead leaves poking him constantly, it was hard to focus on getting out of here and fearing there was a creature trying to kill him.

"Where are we going exactly?" Ichigo asked as she swatted more branches out of his way.

"Once we're out of here, you'll be heading down to the Mystic Waterfall. And in the pool of pure water will be a tree with a door and two windows. That's where we're heading." Rukia said. Her high-pitched voice made Ichigo smirk. It was hilarious hearing her like this.

"Right... and this bone has to do with what, exactly?" he said as he held it up.

"That is none of your business!" she yanked on his hair and Ichigo howled in protest.

"What the hell you midget! Stop pulling my hair!" He reached up and tried to grab her with his free hand. She fluttered around him, laughing and pulling at his hair some more. "Keep doing that and I'll bring Komamura back here to really eat you!" he yelled. In his other hand was the golden bone, until something grabbed it. Rukia gasped.

"Oh-no! The golden bone! Ichigo, you idiot!" she yelled and kicked his nose. She may be tiny, but goddamn was she strong.

"It's not my fault!" he yelled and sprinted off. Rukia fluttered quickly after him. As Ichigo was running, he saw a dark shadow moving swiftly through the brush. It was fast, faster than Ichigo thought he could keep up. Whatever it is, it sure wants this bone. "Hey, bastard! Get back here!" he shouted, but the shadow suddenly disappeared right in front of him. "Son of a bitch." he growled and pulled his knife from his bag.

"Ichigo, wait! That's a-"

"Can it, Rukia!" Ichigo shouted back at her. "I'm going to catch this slimy thief if it's the last thing I-" Ichigo was suddenly tripped and he fell forward, face-planting hard into the ground. He groaned and spit out dirt and whatever else entered his mouth and growled. "Ow, damn it!" he flipped over and looked around. He saw Rukia flutter towards him.

"I told you to slow down." Rukia said as she put her hand to her hips and hovered in place. Ichigo spit towards her.

"You didn't tell me shit! Great, now we lost him." Ichigo got to his feet and brushed off the lingering odd plant debris. "Now what are we going to do?" Ichigo grumbled. Rukia sat on his shoulder, much to his displeasure.

"I guess I have to go there and tell them that I lost it." Rukia said with a frown. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her.

"Them? Who's them?" he asked. Rukia sighed.

"The Mistresses of the Elements." she said.

"Who?"

Rukia glared at him. "Stupid. The four women in charge of the elements of he earth. Fire, water, air, and earth. I needed it for a special occassion I have with them every year, but I guess it won't work out now." she put her hands to her cheeks and looked down. Seeing Rukia sad, even in his dreams, made Ichigo a little depressed. That's when he sighed. He only did stuff like this for her, and _only_ her.

"Ugh... I'll find the damn bone." he said. Rukia lit up-literally. She started glowing freaking pink.

"Oh, Ichigo! Thank-you!" she giggled. Ichigo rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut-up and let's go."

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia spent a good couple of hours looking everywhere for the stupid bone of gold. It was pointless. Whatever grabbed it probably swallowed it whole. It was probably Komamura sneaking up on them. He's probably long gone by now.

"Rukia, let's give it up." Ichigo said. His feet were hurting. "We've been at it for hours. This forest is still giving me the creeps, it looks like it's getting darker, and I'm sure something is following us." Ichigo looked back nervously. Rukia moaned.

"Maybe you're right..." Rukia pouted.

"Hey, is that the exit?" Ichigo pointed ahead. A small circle with the promising color of yellow mixed with pink. Rukia nodded.

"Yes. We can rest at the apple tree on the hill." Rukia said sadly. Ichigo frowned at her. She stopped glowing pink at that point, too. With a heavy sigh, Ichigo continued forward, feeling bad that he couldn't find the bone.

"Look, Rukia, I'm sorry that I-" Ichigo was cut short when something tackled him to the ground. His head hit the trunk of a tree and he almost lost consciousness.

"Ichigo!" he heard Rukia yell. Ichigo groaned, and opened his eyes, which were blurry, but when his vision cleared, he didn't see the pink fairy that was sitting on his shoulder, but strong steel eyes bearing down on him.

"Where's my-"

"AH!" Ichigo screamed and kicked what was off of him. He heard thudding, a yelp and a loud thump. He sat up and saw... "Shuuhei?" The once Soul Reaper was across from him on the ground, rubbing his head, his mouth curved in a snarl showing white sharp fangs. His dark hair was longer than normal, almost draping over his eyes, and at the top of his head, black, pointy ears. "Are you a... a..."

"A dog?" Rukia finished for him. Shuuhei growled as he stood, showing off his bare chest, sporting baggy pants.

"I'm not a dog!" Shuuhei shouted.

'_Didn't Toshiro once say that?_' Ichigo thought to himself.

"I'm a Taily-po." Shuuhei stated while crossing his arms. Ichigo and Rukia gawked at him.

"A... what the hell is a Taily-po?" Ichigo asked.

"A Taily-po is a creature known for moaning for its tail at night." Rukia said. "They often lose it." that's when Shuuhei sniffled.

"It's true... my precious tail is gone!" he suddenly wailed. Ichigo groaned. What the hell was he thrown into?

"Well that's a shame indeed, but if you'll excuse us, we have somewhere to be." Ichigo stood and walked towards the opening into the light, but Shuuhei leaped in front of him.

"You are not permitted to leave!" Shuuhei shouted at him. Ichigo backed up, taking his knife from his bag.

"You want to fight over it?" Ichigo threatened. Shuuhei bared his fangs and flattened his ears, then crouched on all fours. There was nothing but a furry stub sticking from the back of his pants. "Missing something back there, aren't you?" Ichigo smirked. In a flash of anger, Shuuhei pounced and pinned Ichigo to the ground, snarling like a pure bred beast. Ichigo stuck the butt of his knife to Shuuhei's neck to keep the creature from tearing open his throat. Shuuhei was a lot stronger than he thought.

"That's enough!" Rukia shouted, and raised her arms, swinging them down. Glitter covered the boys and they suddenly froze.

"W-what?!" Ichigo choked out. Shuuhei groaned oddly and they both twitched in place. "R-Rukia, what is th-this?" Ichigo glared her way. Rukia smiled.

"It's a binding powder. You two can't move until I say so."

"Then... say it!" Shuuhei growled.

"Promise to not fight?" Rukia asked.

"Yes!" both men yelled together. Rukia snapped her fingers, a new powder falling on the boys and they crumpled in a pile.

"Get off!" Ichigo yelled and kicked Shuuhei off once again, getting to his feet. "I'm leaving whether you want us too, or not!" Ichigo shouted. Shuuhei again jumped in front of him.

"Not until you find my tail!" Shuuhei yelled.

"Why is that my responsibility? It was attached to YOUR ass!" Ichigo roared. Shuuhei growled and bared his fangs, before smirking.

"If you help me find my tail," he reached into his back pocket. "Not only will I let you guys go, but I'll give you back this." he held up the golden bone, and Rukia gasped.

"The bone!" Rukia exclaimed.

"You're the bastard who took the bone! Give it back!" Ichigo lunged for him, but Shuuhei jumped on him and leaped to a lower branch to a tree. He perched himself comfortably, swinging the bone around mockingly. Ichigo growled. "That's ours! We need it! Give it back now!" Ichigo demanded.

"You find my tail, I'll give it back." he put it back in his pocket. "Now go." Shuuhei pointed the other way. Ichigo felt a vein pop in his head.

"If he thinks I'm gonna-"

"Please, Ichigo." Rukia pleaded as she floated in front of him. "I need it for tomorrow. Please?" Rukia put her hands together. Ichigo sighed. Damn her... damn her, damn her, damn Shuuhei!

"Fine! Whatever. What the hell does your stupid tail even look like?" Ichigo shouted up at the Taily-po.

"It's long, black, and furry. What more would it look like?" Shuuhei said. "Return it, and this is yours, along with your freedom." he shook the bone again, smirking with his white fangs. Ichigo sighed.

"Fine. Let's go, Rukia." Ichigo grabbed her and put her on his shoulder before heading back into the forest. This is going to take forever...

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**I'm starting to LIKE this story! The Taily-po is a classic horror story for kids. Check it out if you'd like!**


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